An electrical cutout is a protective device that is used to protect a power distribution grid. The cutout generally includes a fuse assembly and an insulator. The fuse assembly includes a fuse element, and contacts of the fuse assembly, that is located between a high voltage power distribution line and a section of the power distribution grid. The fuse element in the cutout is designed to blow if there is a surge in the electrical power current due to a fault or overload current in the protected section of the system, and thereby power is removed from the faulted section of the distribution grid. As a result, only the faulted section of the grid loses power, and the remaining grid is protected from the current surge and is still operational.
Conventional insulators for cutouts generally include a housing containing an insulator body. The insulator body typically includes three metal connectors, or inserts, for coupling a frame of the insulator body to upper and lower contact assemblies and to a utility structure. The metal connectors are separate components that are attached to the frame of the insulator body. The insulator generally is exposed to the challenges of mechanical stress and electrical stress while in operation. When the fuse element in the fuse assembly of the cutout is blown, physical force is exerted on the insulator and the metal connectors. Consequently, the insulator must be manufactured with sufficient strength to withstand damage from the fuse element when it is blown. As a result, conventional insulator bodies for fuse cutouts have typically used metal inserts, since metal can provide the desired mechanical strength for the application. Some insulators have been made with porcelain or some other ceramic material for strength to prevent damage when the fuse element activates. The ceramic insulators, however, are heavy and bulky; they require specialized assembly fixtures or processes and are awkward and difficult to handle and ship. The ceramic insulators are also brittle and easily chipped or broken. Other insulators have been made with plastics or polymers in an attempt to overcome some of the failure problems associated with ceramic insulators. However, these insulators typically include an insulator body having multiple metal components, and the electric field is concentrated in the vicinities of the metal components in these insulators. As a result, the connection areas between each of the components are electrically weak. In addition, conventional insulator bodies having multiple components require long manufacturing times and higher costs associated with manufacturing the insulators.